Coverings for floor or wall decorations usually comprise a layered structure comprising at least one substrate and at least one surface layer, whereby the surface layer typically comprises a print layer or a print in the form of a pattern, such as for example a wood fibre pattern or brick or stone type pattern. In the case of covering panels, the coverings can optionally be provided with interlocking means to easily connect and fixate two or more covering panels and optionally with a bevel in order to obtain the floor or wall decoration.
Such coverings are known in the art. For example, EP 1 938 963 describes a panel which has a decor film on an upper side of a core of plastic, and a transparent finishing layer on the decor film. A transparent lacquer layer is applied on the finishing layer, and a back-pull layer is provided on the back of the core. A lockable tongue and groove connection is provided at two mutually opposite edges of the panel. The decor film includes a PVC film that is printed with a decor, and the lacquer layer is UV curable. The panel has thickness of 4 to 8 millimeter, and weight per unit area of 1.5 to 2.0 kilogram per square meter per millimeter of thickness.
A problem with the coverings described in the prior art is the complexity of the process to produce the coverings as several different types of layers and curing or other treatment steps need to be applied sequentially in order to obtain the coverings. These various types of sequential steps reduce the flexibility of the different types of decorations that can be obtained and increase the production cost of the coverings.
There remains a need in the art for improved coverings which can be produced in an easy and cost effective manner with a high degree of flexibility with regard to the types of coverings and designs (look and/or feel) that can be produced and which may be easily adapted to the needs and wishes of a client.
The present invention aims to resolve at least some of the problems mentioned above.
The invention thereto aims to provide a covering comprising at least one substrate with a print pattern directly applied to the substrate, allowing a broad variety of coverings with different designs to be produced in an easy and flexible manner. The invention further aims to provide a method to produce such coverings.